December 2,
2007: Letter sent to Arma City Council
December 1, 2007: Letter to the Editor
(Morning Sun) from Craig Stokes
December 1,2007: Letter to the Editor
(Morning Sun) from Melvin Patrick (unpublished)
November 30, 2007: 190 residents and property owners
signed the petition in oppostion to annexation (an overwhelming
majority)November 18, 2007: Ad
in Morning Sun: Residents of Franklin & Arma Opposed to
Annexation - Please stop by the Franklin Community Center to sign a
petition opposing annexations. November 12,2007: Minutes of Special
meeting of Arma City Council
November 5,2007: Minutes of Regular meeting
of Arma City Council
November 2, 2007: Press Release issued:

We
respectfully request that you remove your consideration to annex Franklin from your negotiations with
Ruggles &
Bohm P.A.We ask that you honor the
wishes of the residents of Franklin as well as taking into the
account the
cost to the citizens of Arma.Please
consider the following:

A petition that was presented to the city
council which clearly stated a majority of Franklin residents were in opposition to the idea of
annexation.

The petition was taken in a 3 day period and
if a formal petition were to be taken over a longer period of time the
majority would be greater.

Residents of Franklin are provided services necessary for their
quality of life.

Living in Franklin was a choice made by the
residents who do not wish to live in an incorporated city.

Franklin has a long sense of history and commitment
to their community which is evidenced by the support of past and
present residents.

Taxes would most certainly need to be raised
in order to provide the services that have been suggested.The tax levy in Franklin is currently lower than the tax levy for
Arma.

Utility rates would increase due to Arma’s
“middleman” with the electric company.

The CrawfordCounty Commission has done an excellent job of
providing services for Franklin.

Residents of Franklin are not interested in any offers to be
annexed by any other community.

The tornado of 2003 seemed to destroy the
community of Franklin. Through years of dedication and hard work
by the residents of Franklin and citizens throughout the County the
community has been resurrected.Franklin does not wish to have the community taken
away again.

While promises have been made
that the community could keep its identity and name we are not
interested in being ruled by the governing body of Arma or any other
area city.

FCCI has made a commitment to the residents
of Franklin to ensure a bright future for the community
and we will continue with our strategic plans for growth. Those plans
do not include annexation to any city.

Craig Stokes,
President

Franklin
Community
Council, Inc.

Letter to the
Editor (December 1, 2007)

Thanks to the Morning Sun for reporting on the
issue of the
annexation of Franklin.Shortly after the tornado of 2003 there
was
some talk about this issue but we felt it had been put to rest due to
the negative
response from the residents in Franklin.What a surprise to hear about it again
through the newspaper.While I do
realize that the Crawford County Commission is the governing body of Franklin
it has been quite obvious for the past 4 years that the non-profit
organization
(Franklin Community Council, Inc) was formed to ensure that the
community would
be rebuilt and we have continued to work to accomplish that task.We have worked with the Crawford County Commission and other
organizations throughout the county.

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We have accomplished many goals in the past 4 years
which
include the new FranklinCommunity Center, the FranklinCommunityPark
anda welcome area with an outstanding
“Welcome to Franklin” sign.Events are held weekly in the community which
brings together residents who reside throughout the county.Just past week our veterans event
was once
again “Standing Room Only” as veterans from the entire county were
honored.Performers, volunteers,
speakers and others came from many communities.Franklin
has always appreciated those wonderful citizens throughout CrawfordCounty who have helped us in
a
variety of ways. At the
veterans event
Anne Emerson who is the Community Director of Senator Sam Brownback
spoke with
Congresswoman Nancy Boyda and told her about what a unique community we
are.She spoke of how we did not sit
and wait for the government to send help but instead banded together to
work
for the betterment of the community.

We have far reaching plans for the community which
do not
include annexation to Arma.Just as a
common courtesy it would have seemed appropriate for the Arma City
Council to
contact the residents of Franklin
to see what their opinion would be on annexation.It is public information that FCCI meets
monthly at the community center.The
members of the Board of Directors of FCCI are well known throughout the
county
and any of us are available at any time to set up a special meeting or
discuss
the issue.We are very disappointed
that the Arma City Council has chosen to bring this issue to the
forefront once
again without even discussing it with the citizens of Franklin.

FCCI will continue to work towards reaching our
goals and to do what is in the
best interest of the residents.Many
of them have depended on us and we will not let them down. We will stay the course of our planned
actions and not be deterred by underhanded means of overtaking this
community.

We invite all residents and any other interested
parties to
our monthly board meeting at the FranklinCommunity Center, December
2, 4 pm.

<>R. Craig Stokes, President

Franklin Community Council,Inc.

Letter to the Editor

(December 1,2007)
Unpublished

Letter to the Editor:

To Mayor Carl Wicker, Arma City Council and
Residents of
Arma:

How much is Arma willing to spend to get between
60 and 70
families from Franklin
into their
city limits?Most of the families are
widows, retired or disabled.If we
should
be annexed we would expect the same services that Arma residents have.

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Arma has fire and police protection and we
would
expect the
same.Although Franklin has just put in
new 4 inch water mains for drinking and washing purposes we would
expect fire
plugs just like Arma which would require Arma to put in all new lines
since it
requires a 6 inch line for the fire hydrants.They would need an extra fire truck and it seems apparent they
can’t
even build a building to keep control of the Rural Fire Department they
have
available now.
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Most of the lights in Franklin
now are individually owned and paid for by private citizens.Adding to the cost of utilities in Arma
we
would need street lights on every block in Franklin.To protect the area of Franklin
they would also need 1 or 2 more police cars.
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The main cost would be the sewer.The
money for the Franklin Sewer would
probably have to be returned if we are annexed and Arma would have to
start
another application because I understand it is not transferable.This means an added expense would be the
sewer for all of Franklin.
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Most of the streets are one lane and not wide enough.Only 3 or 4 streets are wide enough for 2
cars.This would require the city of
Arma
to lay new streets in Franklin.
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People of Arma and the City Council figure they can afford
several million dollars for 60-70 families.It would take at least 20 to 30 years for this amount to be paid
by the
people of Franklin.
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We have waited over 10 years for the sewer.It
seems to me that the commission has
neglected to do anything.Easements were
done by local residents.
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We wonder if Arma can invest several million dollars to
improve Franklin so we
will have
the same facilities as Arma. Since we’ll
be paying the same taxes we deserve the same services as what Arma has
now.
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To me it doesn’t seem feasible until they get their own
problems solved in Arma.It is my
opinion that would be an awful lot of money to spend considering who
has a wild
hair in his behind.I don’t think it
could be a very quick process because the majority of people in Franklin
are against it and always have been. <>

I think it was also stupid to come out in the paper every 6
months for someone back east to tell you how to annex property.It seems it should be stopped and nipped in
the bud.This every six months is for
the birds
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Melvin Patrick212 S. Church St.
Franklin, Ks. 66735

Minutes of
Special Meeting by Arma City Council (November 12, 2007)

SPECIAL MEETING

NOVEMBER 12, 2007

A Special meeting was called on Nov. 12th
beginning at 4:00 p.m. to
discuss the
possibility of annexing the community of Franklin,
Kansas and what details would be
required
for the City of Arma to
move
forward with this issue.

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The meeting was called to order by City Council
member
Rock
Anderson. The Pledge of Allegiance was stated. Roll was taken and the
Mayor,
Karl Wicker was not present at the beginning of the meeting but did
join the
Board at 4:30 p.m. Council
member
Don Zornes was absent.

Planning Administrator, David Yearout who is
employed with
Ruggles & Bohm P.A. was present to speak to the City Council about
the
process of annexing Franklin
into
the City of Arma. Ron
McKee asked
David several questions, first where or not the Council can annex a
road. David
told Ron that roads can not be annexed to connect one entity to
another. David
explained to the Council that there is two ways to annex. One is if the
City is
bordering the property which Arma is not per the State KSA regulation.
The
second means is to proceed as KSA 12-521 allows, which is a unilateral
process.The Council received the status
on annexing land from David, (KSA 12-519, 12-520, 12-520a, 12-520b,
12-521 through
12-538) so that they may review the laws that must be followed. David
also
handed out an aerial map so that the Council could review what area
they would
like to start with boundary lines. Mike McLeod, City and Co. Fire Chief
told
the group that they may want to consider placing the boundary to 610th
Ave. since this is where the 246 School
district
begins. The question on the current sewer grant with Franklin
was brought up. David told the Council that the grant is with the CountyCommissioner not the
community of Franklin
and that once the annexation process begins one of the issues to deal
with will
be to discuss this matter with the CountyCommissioner to make sure
that they
will follow through with the approved sewer grant. The Council was
informed
that David would not be able to join them at their next regular
business
meeting on the 19th; however Tom Ruggles or Chris Bohm would
be able
to attend. Ron McKee then made the motion to have Ruggles and Bohm P.A.
present
an annexation plan to the City Council during their next business
meeting on
Nov. 19th. Jeff Locke seconds the motion. The motion was
approved.

Ron McKee made the motion to adjourn the meeting
at 4:55 p.m. Rock Anderson
seconds the motion.
The motion was approved.

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(KSA Status included with minutes)
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_________________________

Bette
Lessen, City Clerk

Minutes
of Arma City Council Meeting November 5,2007
(contains only section with reference to Franklin)

REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING

<>NOVEMBER 5, 2007
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The Mayor, Karl Wicker opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was
stated.
Roll was taken and Don Zornes was absent due to illness. The minutes
from the
previous meeting were presented. Jeff Locke made the motion to accept
and John
Logiudici seconds the motion. The motion was approved. Finance Officer,
Jeff
Locke presented Appropriation Ordinance #10. Jeff made the motion to
approve
Appropriation Ordinance #10 and Rock Anderson seconds the motion. The
motion
was approved. The Mayor presented the evenings agenda. Under UNFINISHED
BUSINESS the following item was added. Item C), Pooling Electric
Service. Jeff
Locke made the motion to accept the revised agenda and John Logiudici
seconds
the motion. The motion was approved.

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A)ANNEXATION
REPORT

Karl Wicker reported that he had not spoken to Ken
Shetlar
and is still waiting for the feasibility report. Issue was tabled.

Ron McKee handed out a map with boundaries drawn
to the
south of Arma that Ron would like to see annexed into the City limits.Ron made the motion to begin the process of
identifying the appropriate boundaries of the unincorporated community
of Franklin, Kansas
for annexation into the city limits
of Arma, Kansas.
Rock Anderson seconds the
motion.
The motion was approved.

________________________________

Bette
Lessen, City Clerk

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Press Release Issued
<> (November 2,2007)
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<>Franklin Community
Council,
Inc.
continues to move ahead with their strategic plan for rebuilding the
community.Those plans do not
include
being annexed into the city of Arma.We
have not
been notified by Arma City Council nor have they contacted us about
their plans
for annexation. FCCI will hold its
monthly board meeting December 2 at 4 pm at
the FranklinCommunity Center.A
discussion regarding annexation will be on
the agenda.The meeting is open to the
public and all are invited and encouraged to attend.

“Pursuant to Article 2, §14 of
the
Constitution of the State of Kansas, I veto HB 2774. HB 2774 would significantly
alter
the annexation laws in Shawnee and Sedgwick counties by creating a new
review board
process to determine if a proposed annexation should be approved.

“Although I am sympathetic to the
concerns of
the citizens who supported this bill, I believe as a matter of public
policy
that all cities and counties in the State of Kansas should follow the same rules, especially for
annexation. It is a belief that I have held since my days as a member
of the
House of Representatives.

“As with 2003 HB 2212, which I vetoed
last
year, HB 2774 is non-uniform in its application to cities and counties,
and is
therefore subject to serious constitutional challenge. In my veto
message of
2003 HB 2212, I stated that a challenge should be considered for the
special
annexation legislation passed for ShawneeCounty in 1987. The City of Topeka is currently litigating this issue. I hope
this case
clarifies the constitutional limits of annexation legislation. If it
does, then
perhaps an acceptable bill can be drafted during next year’s
legislative
session.”

ÒHB 2212 creates a set of standards for annexation in ShawneeCounty while not enforcing
those
same standards on all counties in Kansas.
Similar legislation was passed in 1987, and as a member of the House of
Representatives, I did not support that legislation. I believe that all
cities
and counties in the State of Kansas
should follow the same rules, especially when it comes to issues of
annexation.
For this reason, I veto HB 2212. Due to the fact that HB 2212 would
only be
applicable to one county, it is likely to be found unconstitutional. I
believe
a challenge should be considered for the law passed in 1987.Ó